Chanel in #287 L.A. Sunrise + Comparisons

Direct sunlight

This is Chanel in #287 L.A. Sunrise. L.A. Sunrise was released as part of the Summer 2008 "Robertson Boulevard" collection for the opening of their store on the eponymous Robertson Boulevard. I was not happy with this one! 

I used the top coat sandwich method I just described in this post, and it did not work you guys! This polish flows perfectly on the nail and goes exactly where you place it, but it is streak-city. Chanel in #577 Mimosa is definitely an improvement on the Chanel yellow formula. I did one thin coat, topped with Seche Vite, then went to bed. In the morning, I added another coat of L.A. Sunrise, but it was still very streaky and not opaque, so I ended up adding two more coats before I was happy. That's 4 thin coats of L.A. Sunrise, plus the Seche Vite sandwich (2 coats), plus base coat. Too thick! And, because I did my mani in two steps hours apart, I got tip pull from the Seche Vite.

I bought L.A. Sunrise because I love Mimosa, but felt kind of silly getting a back-up of it. Mimosa is so much more flattering on me, since it has gold/yellow shimmer. The base of L.A. Sunrise is a bit lighter than Mimosa and a tiny bit more green toned. It is a maize yellow that reads mid-tone rather than pastel, but has a soft look to it. It has white pearl and yellow, green, and red hidden shimmer. Whereas Mimosa makes me look tanner even when I am winter-pale, L.A. Sunrise washes me out a bit. 

If you're a Chanel collector this is a special polish, since it is a rare Chanel yellow, but if you're not, I would give this one a miss. Worn August 14 - 15, 2012.

Indirect sunlight (more buttery, less lemon in real life)

Sorry for the dent on my index - I gave my dog a piece of chicken, and he got a little overzealous! I fixed it by adding a layer of Gelous, another layer of L.A. Sunrise, and another layer of Seche Vite, which is why in most of my pictures it doesn't show.

Flash (more buttery, less lemon in real life) 

Flash (more buttery, less lemon in real life)

Direct sunlight (more buttery, less lemon in real life)

Direct sunlight (more buttery, less lemon in real life)

I did comparisons with Chanel's other yellow, #577 Mimosa, and my other lighter shimmery yellow, Finger Paints in Yellow Bikini - as well as some other light yellows for context. I fiddled a lot with white balance and the other settings on my camera, but it kept making the colors look a bit more green-toned than they really are. I included them to show the difference between colors and shimmers, but make them all lean a bit warmer in your mind - more like butter than lemon yellows.

Left to right: Chanel in #287 L.A. Sunrise, Chanel in #577 Mimosa (top photo is most color-accurate)

Chanel in #287 L.A. Sunrise (top photo is most color-accurate)

Chanel in #577 Mimosa (top two photos are most color-accurate)

Left to right: Chanel in #577 Mimosa, Chanel in #287 L.A. Sunrise, Finger Paints in Yellow Bikini

Left to right: Finger Paints in Yellow Bikini, Chanel in #287 L.A. Sunrise, Chanel in #577 Mimosa

The last photo doesn't show the shimmer, but gives a good idea of the base color differences between these three. Although these are all mid-tone yellows with shimmer, I don't think any are good replacements for the others. L.A. Sunrise lies in between Finger Paints in Yellow Bikini and Mimosa. None of these are pastel, but they all have a soft look to them. Yellow Bikini is a more lemon yellow and the lightest of the three. It has yellow shimmer and red and green hidden shimmer. The application on Yellow Bikini is comparable to Mimosa, which is to say, better than L.A. Sunrise, but still streaky. Whereas L.A. Sunrise is lighter and has white pearl, Mimosa is darker and has slightly more prominent gold/yellow shimmer. They both have green and red hidden shimmer. Mimosa has a slightly thicker and more opaque formula (three rather than 4 coats) and leans warmer than L.A. Sunrise. Out of the three, Mimosa is most flattering to my olive skin tone.

Left to right: Chanel in #287 L.A. Sunrise, China Glaze in Lemon Fizz, Illamasqua in Blow, Rescue Beauty Lounge in Square Pants, American Apparel in Butter

I don't own any other yellows of any finish that fall into the same soft mid-tone yellow range - they all go darker, lighter, or brighter. This comparison shows that L.A. Sunrise is not a pastel yellow. China Glaze in Lemon Fizz is like a lighter creme finish of L.A. Sunrise. Illamasqua in Blow is a slightly lighter creme than Lemon Fizz, with a bit more green in it. Rescue Beauty Lounge in Square Pants is like a jelly version of Blow (it looks more green because the black of my desk is showing through). American Apparel in Butter is the lightest creme and is much more pink-toned - a true (and aptly-named) butter yellow.

More L.A. Sunrise pictures can be found on All Lacquered Up (swatch; comparison 1, 2), Steph's Closet (swatch, feet, comparison), Scrangie (old swatch), Fashion Polish comparison, and Polish Police swatch (washed out) comparison (color inaccurate, but gives an idea for differences of comparison).

So do you think L.A. Sunrise was worth the trouble? What's your favorite yellow? I have to say, Mimosa is my favorite, although I love most yellows.